Chapter Eleven

Ace hadn’t said a word on the drive to her cabin.

Corey parked, and turned to him. He looked so huge in her little car. His eyes were glowing in the dark. He wouldn’t meet her gaze.

“Come on, Bat Boy,” she murmured.

She’d meant it to ease the tension, but the huff of a laugh that escaped him was so dark, she regretted calling him that.

He pushed the door open and got out. She took a couple extra seconds to take in the moment before she unbuckled, and to her surprise he walked around the front of her car and opened the door for her.

“Did your mom teach you your manners?” she asked quietly.

And she saw it there—the shard of pain—before he ripped his gaze away from her and toward the woods.

“Did you know her?” she asked, getting out.

“Yes.”

“She was a good mom?”

He nodded slightly, and at a glance, she could see the emotion filling his eyes.

God, how awful. “The war took it all from you, didn’t it?”

“Didn’t take my dad.”

She remembered the picture of them fishing when he was a boy, and her heart broke for him. “You said the war was over you.”

“They staked my mom, and I was supposed to be killed at the same time. My dad fought the entire pride, killed all his brothers for what they had done to his mate, and he got me out of there.”

“Oh my God,” she said, hanging her head. Tears burned her eyes. “Ace, I’m so sorry.”

“He’ll tell everyone,” he said hoarsely.

She looked up at him. “Who?”

“Owen. He knows now. He will tell the Mountains.”

“You don’t know that—”

“I do, Corey. I know him well enough.”

“Okay. What if he does? What’s the worst that can happen?”

“Damon won’t be able to protect me from the registration anymore. The Holland Pride will find me, and if they find me…” He shook his head.

“They can’t go up against all of Damon’s Mountains, Ace.”

“I’m not worried about what they’ll do. I know what I’ll do.”

“What?” she asked, gripping onto his arms. “What will you do?”

“I know what I’m becoming. I can feel it. I don’t want to be their king. I don’t want the throne that killed my mother, and scarred my father.” He searched her eyes, and she could see the truth there as he said, “I’ll kill the entire Pride. This is my territory now. They have to stay away from here. All of them.”

“Maybe Owen won’t tell anyone.” Even to her, her voice sounded unsure.

“You know him well enough,” Ace told her. “I just gave him the ammo he’s been wanting.”

He was right. She’d seen Owen digging at him over and over. She saw the way Owen watched him and waited for opportunities to push for reactions.

“I can’t do this,” he whispered. “I can’t be a part of the Crew.”

And she understood. She could see it wouldn’t work. The Fastlanders would be a mess on a good day, and that constant back and forth was a lot. And living with the constant jabbing from Owen? Under an unsteady Alpha at war with his brother? They would all kill each other.

“It’s okay,” she told him. “You still won’t be alone. I’m still your friend.”

He hung his head and shook it. Exhaustion filled every curve of his face. “Let’s go to bed, pretty girl. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“So I shouldn’t call you Bat Boy,” she said as she followed him up to the door.

“You can call me anything you want. My cousins called me that when I was growing up. I hated it, but it’s not so bad coming from you.”

Note to self: she would not continue calling him the traumatizing name of his youth. How different he must’ve felt growing up in a Pride of lions as a hybrid.

Ace was so much stronger than she’d realized.

As soon as she turned on the light, he scanned her cabin and his face softened. “I like your place.” She put her keys on the hook by the door and locked up. “It was my parent’s vacation home. They sold it to me for cheap when I was ready to buy a home. I’ve always loved this place. Hallie was staying in that back bedroom for months when she was on the run. There’s fresh sheets on the bed if you want that one.”

He gestured to the back door. “These are your exits? Front door and back door?”

She nodded.

“I need to stay here. Would you mind if I opened that window?”

“I don’t mind at all,” she said softly, making a note of his needs. Maybe his time in hiding had done to him what it had done to Hallie. He needed eyes on the entry points and a window open to sleep. All right.

“I’ll go grab a blanket,” she murmured, making her way to the linen closet.

Ace appeared in front of her and kissed her.

It was an immediate melting of her body against his. With a helpless sound in her throat, she slid her arms around his shoulders and lifted up, wrapped her legs around him as he caught the backs of her knees. “Where,” he rumbled against her lips.

She pointed to her bedroom and closed her eyes against the kiss as he walked them to her bed.

She thought he would push her for more immediately, and it was a hell yes from her, but he surprised her. He laid her gently on the bed and settled in beside her, kissed her again. Again. Gentle. Gentle. Kissed the tip of her nose, then pulled her in tight against him.

His heart was pounding against her cheek, and she squeezed her eyes closed at how good it felt to be in his arms like this.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“For what?” she asked, confused.

“Tonight was my fault. You were in danger because of me. Because of my impatience.”

“Owen charged at us, not you.”

“Owen’s animal was reacting. He poked at me, and I gave in. I snapped, and it put you and Hallie in a dangerous situation.”

“But you stopped it. I saw you standing between us and the bear and the boar. And you separated Gunner and Owen, too.”

“They wouldn’t have been trying to kill each other if I hadn’t started the fight. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like being ramped up because of your foot, and I didn’t like thinking about what could’ve happened.”

“My foot feels fine, and I’m still kicking. I’m not that fragile, friend.”

He made a soft sound in his chest, pushed a loose tress of hair back from her face, and eased back to look her in the eye. “Call me Bat Boy before you call me friend anymore. That’s done.”

“Okay,” she whispered through a baffled smile. “Bossy vampire.”

“I’ll only be bossy when you want me to be.”

She leaned up and kissed him, then eased back by inches. “I kind of like it.”

He brushed his fingertips against her cheek and looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. She’d never felt prettier than she did in this moment. “You were scared tonight.”

“When I thought you were a tornado shifter? Yes. I thought you were going to blow the house down.”

He kissed her, bit her bottom lip gently, and then pulled her closer. He slid his hand down the front of her jean shorts, under her panties.

Corey spread her knees instinctively to give him more room as he slid his fingertips against her. He slowly rubbed up and down, and kissed her again. When he ended the kiss, he murmured, “Tell me you aren’t scared of me.”

“I’m not scared of you.”

“Tell me you understand.”

“Understand what?” she asked softly, rolling her hips against his exploring touch.

“Tell me you understand you are safe with me.”

“I trust you,” she said. “I understand.” And she truly did. She’d been paying attention. He got protective of her. Defensive of her. He didn’t like the way Owen talked about her, but even in the heat of battle, he’d pulled off to come inside and make sure she was safe. There was great value in a man like that.

She reached down and pulled at the hem of her baggy sweatshirt, and he helped her remove it completely.

“Now you,” she murmured.

“What do you need?”

“I need to feel your skin.”

He gave her a crooked smile as he pulled his hand from her panties and tugged his shirt off. She clumsily helped, and threw the thin fabric onto the floor with a soft laugh. His hair was all mussed, and she ran her fingertips through it. She reveled in the fact that he rolled his eyes closed and made a purring sound.

Corey lifted her hips and unfastened her jean shorts, then shoved them down her thighs. Now all that remained was her thin bra and panties.

He dug his fingertips into the grip at her hips as he dragged his hungry gaze down her body. The smile that took his lips was positively wicked.

“Jeans,” she whispered in the dim light of the single lamp in her bedroom.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Mmmm, are you going to let me be the boss in here?” she asked as he pushed his jeans down his hips. Now he had nothing on, and she ran her leg up his.

He grabbed her leg and slid his hand down to her knee, and then back up. “Soft.”

“I shaved.”

“Oh?” he asked, his dark eyebrows arching up. “You had plans for me?”

“It’s not my fault. You are a sexy vampire-lion who opens the door for me and calls me pretty and feeds me. This is on you.”

His chuckle was deep and sexy. He pressed his lips to her neck and rolled his body toward her.

Corey arched back as he hooked a finger under her panties and pulled them off her legs in one smooth motion. Her bra was a little harder. She had made the mistake of slithering into one of those sports bras that he had to pull over her head. She probably looked like a landed tuna fish trying to escape it, and his chuckle drew a giggle from her lips. Fun boy.

His lips went to hers, then to her neck, then down her chest, and he sucked on her breast as she drawled out his name in a moan. She gripped his hair in the back and closed her eyes to the rafters on the ceiling, got lost completely in the feel of his body against hers, of his lips, of his tongue as he lapped at her sensitive nipple. He massaged that breast as he moved to the other. “You want to be the boss tonight?” he rumbled in a voice that wasn’t entirely human.

“Maybe,” she teased.

He bit her stomach gently, just the slight pressure of teeth, and then he rolled them over on the bed and pulled the covers over her back as she straddled him. “Go on then. Do what you want.”

Her palms on his chest, she slowly curled up her fingers, dragging her nails against his skin, and his eyes glowed brighter. She settled right over his stone-hard dick and rocked her hips forward, watching his face, and God, the roll-back of his eyes and the moan that escaped him was a thing of beauty.

She had this control. He was trusting her too. He was letting her lead, when he was the powerful one. The hybrid. The power. Oh, she knew he could be dangerous to others. She’d seen him fight, but with her? He exposed his neck, like he did with Gunner.

Corey lifted her chin higher into the air as she rolled against him again, positioned the head of his cock right at her entrance. “Tell me you want it,” she whispered, teasing her entrance with him.

“I don’t want it, I need it,” he rumbled in a gravelly voice, and now his hands were on her hips, guiding her. He adjusted her angle and slid into her, deep.

A groan escaped her as he eased back and pushed back in. Oh, he could hit her just right.

He pulled her down on him even deeper and thrust shallowly, staying buried in her. The pulsing move heightened how good it felt, and the tension built fast in her middle.

“Oh, you’re going to be easy for me, aren’t you?” he asked, watching her face.

She clawed her fingers harder against his stony chest, and he tilted his chin back as his eyes lightened.

“Ace, Ace, Ace,” she panted out as he pulsed into her deep, deep, faster.

He sat up suddenly and pulled her hard onto him, rolling his hips smoothly. He hugged her tight, keeping all her shattering pieces together as her body exploded. “I’ve got you,” he rumbled against her throat.

She closed her eyes and held him tightly as her throbbing release consumed her.

Mindless, she chanted, “I’m sorry. That was too fast, I’m sorry.”

His hand tightened around her throat just slightly. “That was perfect. You aren’t done yet.” He rolled over on top of her and covered them with the comforter. Here in the little cocoon he’d made, he started moving inside of her again, dragging out every fading pulse of pleasure. And when her body had stilled on her insides, he began thrusting into her hard again. This time, he had control of their pace, and he dragged it out, teased her, played with her sex. Oh, he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

He used pressure with his hands on her body right where she needed it. He gripped her waist, the back of her knee as he dragged her leg up and angled in deeper. He slipped his hand to the back of her neck, then brushed her cheek as he thrust into her. He was exploring her body, and clearly enjoying himself, which was so damn sexy to her.

He liked her, but he was also so in tune with her body.

He was learning what she liked, and paying attention, and everything he tried tethered her more closely to him. In this moment, in the dim light of her room, she felt understood. She felt coveted. She felt important and valued.

There was no insecurity with him. How could there be? He was in it, caring for her body, interested in learning her needs.

When his thrusting became harder, and faster, the tension wrenched up again, and she couldn’t help the cries that escaped her throat with how good he felt inside of her.

“You ready for it,” he growled, holding her so tight, his full body weight making her feel completely safe.

“Please,” she gasped out mindlessly. “Please, please, please.”

He rammed into her hard, over and over, and her body shattered again as he drove so deep into her, paused, and pulsed warmth into her. She yelled out and gripped the pillow above her head desperately as another wave of pleasure took her.

He stayed buried in her center as he bucked into her, emptying himself.

Panting breath, she dared to open her eyes and found him looking at her with nearly-white eyes, glowing from the inside out, so bright it was hard to look away. He was gripping her hair at the back of her head, moving slowly inside of her now, dragging out her orgasm.

He leaned down and kissed her. “No more friends, Corey,” he growled. “You’re mine now.”

She leaned up and kissed him, then smiled and hugged him up so tight. He rolled over and eased her on top of him again, and just hugged her in the silence of the room.

She buried her face against the side of his neck, and whispered, “You’re mine too.”